System for installing and securing construction materials

ABSTRACT

A system for installing and securing construction materials. The system provides for constructing structures which comprise a covering. The system uses an installing and securing clip attached to a support structure. The installing and securing clip can grasp and hold in place a construction material used for a covering. The system allows for attaching construction materials while keeping the attachment mechanism largely out of sight for desired aesthetics. The system also allows for easy removal of construction material for repair or replacement.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Continuation in Part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/301,771 filed on Jun. 11, 2014, entitled “MODULAR FLOORING SYSTEM,” which is a Continuation of International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/CN2013/086198 filed on Oct. 30, 2013, entitled “MODULAR FLOORING SYSTEM,” and claims priority to and the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/887,914 filed on Oct. 7, 2013, entitled “MODULAR FLOORING SYSTEM.” These references are hereby incorporated in their entirety.

FIELD

The present embodiments generally relate to a system for attaching construction materials to a structure.

BACKGROUND

Often structures are constructed by creating a frame and covering that frame with a construction material. For example, dry wall is attached to framing in a house, or floorboards are attached to a support structure, and many outdoor decks have a frame supporting wooden boards.

The mechanism of attaching the construction material to the frame often is often complicated and cumbersome, due to a desire to keep the attachment mechanism unseen for cosmetic reasons.

Alignment of multiple pieces of construction material, as well as rapid construction of structures is hampered by the desire to keep the attachment mechanism out of sight.

A need exists for a system for constructing structures that have a covering in a cost effective, efficient, consistent, and rapid manner that does not require any specialized skills.

The present embodiments meet this need.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description will be better understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an installing and securing system as installed on a support surface.

FIG. 2A is a detail view of an embodiment of an installing and securing clip with a grasping protrusion.

FIG. 2B is a detail view of an embodiment of an installing and securing clip with a grasping adhesive.

FIG. 3 shows two installing and securing clips with the clip aligners linked.

The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining the present apparatus in detail, it is to be understood that the apparatus is not limited to the particular embodiments and that it can be practiced or carried out in various ways.

Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis of the claims and as a representative basis for teaching persons having ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the present invention.

The present invention relates to a system for rapidly constructing a structure with a material covering in a cost effective, efficient, consistent, and rapid manner that does not require any specialized skills.

It is desirable for cosmetic purposes to attach a covering material to a frame without the means of attachment being visible. Many structures require the use of multiple pieces of covering material to completely cover the structure, or make the structure usable. For example, applications such as building indoor walls, constructing an outdoor deck, or installing flooring material all involve using a frame covered by multiple pieces of material.

Attaching the covering material to the frame presents complications with respect to hiding the attachment means. Present methods and equipment used for such purposes are cumbersome and time consuming. Proper alignment and spacing of the covering material, as well as proper alignment and spacing of the attachment means presents a challenge in the construction of structures.

The present invention provides a system that addresses all of the above issues in a cost effective manner that can be employed without the need for specialized skills.

The present invention relates to an installing and securing system for use with a construction material, wherein the installing and securing system allows for a secure attachment of the construction material to a support structure.

The system can be employed to form a structure in a rapid manner, which is easy to repair, and cosmetically and aesthetically pleasing.

The system can comprise a construction material, a support structure, and at least one installing and securing clip.

The construction material can be any material used to cover a frame to form a structure.

Construction materials can include outdoor deck flooring, indoor flooring, wall coverings, ceiling coverings, roof coverings, fencing, or similar structures. These materials can be used in the form of decking boards, floor boards, wall panels, ceiling tiles, shingles, roof tiles, other roof coverings, or fence components such as fence panels, fence pickets, fence posts, or fence gates.

These construction materials can comprise wood, stone, plastic, composite, polymers, synthetic construction materials, or natural construction materials. Different sizes, shapes, and compositions of construction materials can be accommodated by the system.

The support structure embodiments can vary based upon the application. The support structure, or sometimes referred to herein as frame, can be capable of supporting the construction material and the installing and securing clip.

Support structures can include wall studs for hanging drywall, support beams for an outdoor deck, ceiling frames for attaching ceiling tiles, and the like.

The support structure provides a location for the attachment of the installing and securing clip and the construction material. The support structure can be substantially rigid, and capable of supporting the weight of any installing and securing clips used and a weight of any construction materials used.

The installing and securing clip is designed to hold a construction material in place while remaining largely unseen. The installing and securing clip can properly align and space itself, and therefore properly align and space the construction material.

For example, when constructing an outdoor deck using current methods, decking boards are placed upon a deck frame, and fastened to the frame from below to substantially hide the fasteners from view. This often results in uneven spacing between boards, misaligned boards, and a cumbersome procedure for fastening.

In contrast, the installing and securing clips can be rapidly and easily installed on a frame. The installing and securing clips can self-align and space themselves, allowing users to swiftly construct a structure such as a deck without requiring any specialized skills or tools. In addition, the construction material (in this instance decking boards) can be designed to have no spaces between and completely hide the installing and securing clip from view.

The installing and securing clip can have a clip seating surface, wherein the clip seating surface is adapted to seat firmly on the support structure. For example, if the support structure contains tubular members, the seating surface can be curved to complement the support structure. This is an instance in which the support structure comprises a complementary surface, wherein the complementary surface is shaped to receive the clip seating surface.

While the embodiments shown reflect a flat seating surface for firm seating on a flat surface, the seating surface can have alternate geometries to mate with the geometry of a support structure.

The installing and securing clip can have a clip attachment surface for grasping the construction material. The clip attachment surface can be a grasping protrusion for mechanically securing the construction material, or a grasping adhesive such as epoxy or glue.

The grasping protrusion can be a structure extending from the clip attachment surface which is adapted to grasp the construction material and substantially constrain the movement of the construction material relative to the clip attachment surface.

The grasping adhesive can be any adhesive material disposed upon the clip attachment surface and in contact with the construction material which substantially constrains the movement of the construction material relative to the clip attachment surface.

The installing and securing clip can have a support structure attachment for attaching the installing and securing clip to the support structure. The support structure attachment can be selected based upon the application, but can be any attachment means to substantially secure the installing and securing clip to the support structure.

Support structure attachments can include nails, screws, bolts, dowel pins, rivets, staples, adhesives, hook and loop fasteners, magnets, and the like.

The installing and securing clip can have a clip positioner, wherein the clip positioner selectively orients the installing and securing clip with respect to the support structure. The clip positioner can be implemented to orient the clip perpendicularly to the support structure, or angled for other desirable installations of construction materials.

For example, the clip positioner can perpendicularly orient the installing and securing clip on an outdoor deck to have decking boards that run straight across the deck frame, or alternatively the clip positioner can orient the installing and securing clip at an angle to provide a desirable cosmetic effect with the decking boards.

The installing and securing clip can have a clip aligner, wherein the clip aligner is adapted to cooperatively interact with another clip aligner. The clip aligner can both space and align the installing and securing clips with other installing and securing clips for a desired installation. The clip aligner can both space and align the construction materials with other construction materials for a uniform appearance and fit.

The clip positioner and the clip aligner can act in concert to properly align the installing and securing clip at a desired orientation to the support structure and properly align the construction material at a desired orientation to the support structure.

The above system can be provided in a kit for constructing a structure. The kit can be designed for various applications, such as for forming a section of fence, a section of flooring, an outdoor deck, a section of drywall, and the like.

The kit can have a plurality of construction materials designed for the application, such as decking boards for an outdoor deck, floor boards for a section of flooring, etc. The construction materials can be precut or formed to specific dimensions for being grasped by the plurality of installing and securing clips to form the structure.

The kit can have a plurality of installing and securing clips as described above. The clips can have a clip seating surface adapted to seat firmly on a support structure, as well as a clip positioner and a clip aligner both selected for the desired look of the completed structure.

The installing and securing clips can each have a clip attachment surface for grasping the construction material and substantially constraining the movement of the construction material with respect to the installing and securing clips.

In embodiments, the kit can have support structure attachments for attaching the installing and securing clips to the support structure. The kit in embodiments can also have components of a support structure for constructing a support structure.

Turning now to the Figures, FIG. 1 is a side view of an installing and securing system 100 as installed on a support surface.

In embodiments, the support structure 130 can be below the installing and securing clips 140 a and 140 b. This embodiment is representative of an application such as an outdoor deck, a flooring installation, and the like. The support structure can have a complementary surface 132, which can be flat, to receive the clip seating surface, which can also be flat.

In embodiments, the clip positioners 143 a and 143 b can orient the installing and securing clips 140 a and 140 b perpendicularly to the support structure 130. The clip aligner of each clip can be attached to properly space and align the installing and securing clips 140 a and 140 b.

In embodiments, the construction materials 110 a and 110 b can be installed in the installing and securing clips 140 a and 140 b and held in place by grasping protrusions 146 a-146 d.

The construction materials can be formed to be grasped by grasping protrusions, as well as to completely hide clip positioners 143 a and 143 b from view, which results in a desired aesthetic in the finished structure.

Also evident in this embodiment is the ease of repair. If construction materials are damaged after installation, for example a floorboard is cracked after installation, removal and replacement of the construction material is facilitated through the use of installing and securing clips. In this example, a single floorboard can be easily removed and replaced.

FIG. 2A is a detail view of an embodiment of an installing and securing clip 140 a with a grasping protrusion.

In this embodiment, the installing and securing clip 140 a is shown with a support structure attachment 149, a clip attachment surface 144, a clip seating surface 142, a clip positioner 143 a, clip aligners 141 a-141 d, and grasping protrusions 146 a and 146 b.

The support structure attachment 149 is shown as a screw, but can be any attachment means to secure the installing and securing clip 140 a to a support structure.

The clip attachment surface 144 is shown as a flat face to receive a construction material. The clip attachment surface 144 can be curved, roughened, comprise protrusions, have material removed, and the like based upon the desired use.

For example, sections of the installing and securing clip 140 a can be removed to make the installing and securing clip lighter or to allow a clear view of the support structure beneath during installation. For engineered construction materials, the clip attachment surface 144 can be shaped to complement the construction material.

In embodiments, the clip seating surface 142 can be flat to seat upon a flat support structure. In alternate embodiments, the clip seating surface can be curved, roughened, comprise protrusions, and the like based upon the desired use and support structure to be utilized.

The clip positioner 143 a can orient the installing and securing clip 140 a with respect to the support structure. In this embodiment, the clip positioner 143 a can serve to orient the installing and securing clip 140 a perpendicularly to a support structure having a flat side.

In other embodiments, the clip positioner 143 a can be angled to orient the installing and securing clip 140 a in the same plane at a different angle. The clip positioner 143 a can also act to tilt the installing and securing clip 140 a if desired.

The clip aligners 141 a-141 d can form a complementary male and female connection on either end of installing and securing clip 140 a. The clip aligners can properly align and space the installing and securing clip 140 a.

For example, in an installation for an outdoor deck, the clip aligners can ensure that all construction materials are parallel to each other, and at the desired spacing.

The grasping protrusions 146 a and 146 b can grip a construction material.

In embodiments, the installing and securing clip 140 a can further comprise a mechanical stop 145 to prevent movement of a construction material parallel to the installing and securing clip 140 a. The mechanical stop 145 can have protrusions to engage the construction material and hold it in place.

FIG. 2B is a detail view of an embodiment of the installing and securing clip with a grasping adhesive.

In this embodiment, the installing and securing clip 140 a can have a grasping adhesive 148 in lieu of grasping protrusions.

The installing and securing clip 140 a is shown having clip aligners 141 a-141 d, clip positioner 143 a, clip attachment surface 144, and support structure attachment 149.

FIG. 3 shows two installing and securing clips with the clip aligners linked.

In this embodiment, clip aligners 141 a and 141 b, are shown as female and male connectors respectively on one end of the installing and securing clip 140 a. Clip aligners 141 f and 141 e, are shown as female and male connectors respectively on one end of the installing and securing clip 140 b.

Clip aligners 141 d and 141 c, are shown as female and male connectors respectively on the opposing end of the installing and securing clip 140 a. Clip aligners 141 h and 141 g, are shown as female and male connectors respectively on the opposing end of the installing and securing clip 140 b.

In this embodiment, female clip aligner 141 d can securely attach to male clip aligner 141 e, and male clip aligner 141 c can securely attach to male clip aligner 141 f. As shown, the installing and securing clips 140 a and 140 b are properly spaced, and aligned with each other. In this embodiment, the alignment of the installing and securing clips 140 a and 140 b is in a linear fashion.

In this embodiment, the clip aligners serve to properly space and align the installing and securing clips as well as the construction materials for an aesthetically pleasing cosmetic result.

While these embodiments have been described with emphasis on the embodiments, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the embodiments might be practiced other than as specifically described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An installing and securing system for use with a construction material, wherein the installing and securing system allows for attachment of the construction material to a support structure, wherein the installing and securing system comprises: a. a construction material; b. a support structure; c. at least one installing and securing clip comprising: (i) a clip seating surface, wherein the clip seating surface is adapted to seat on the support structure; (ii) a clip attachment surface for grasping the construction material, wherein the clip attachment surface further comprises:
 1. a grasping protrusion; or
 2. a grasping adhesive; and d. a support structure attachment for attaching the installing and securing clip to the support structure.
 2. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the construction material comprises at least one of: a. a material used for a deck; b. a material used for flooring; c. a material used for wall covering; d. a material used for ceiling covering; e. a material used for roof covering; and f. a material used for fencing.
 3. The installing and securing system of claim 2, wherein the construction material comprises at least one of: a. a decking board; b. a floor board; c. a wall panel; d. a ceiling tile; e. a shingle, a roof tile, or other roof covering; and f. a fence component.
 4. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the construction material comprises at least one of: a. a wood; b. a stone; c. a plastic; d. a composite; e. a polymer; f. a synthetic construction material; and g. a natural construction material.
 5. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a complementary surface, wherein the complementary surface is shaped to receive the clip seating surface in a substantially snug manner.
 6. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the support structure is substantially rigid and capable of fixedly supporting a combined weight, wherein the combined weight is a weight of any installing and securing clips used and a weight of any construction materials used.
 7. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the installing and securing clip further comprises a clip positioner, wherein the clip positioner selectively orients the installing and securing clip with respect to the support structure.
 8. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the installing and securing clip further comprises a clip aligner, wherein the clip aligner is adapted to cooperatively interact with another clip aligner.
 9. The installing and securing system of claim 8, wherein the clip aligner performs at least one of the following functions: a. properly aligns the installing and securing clip with a separate installing and securing clip; b. properly spaces the installing and securing clip with a separate installing and securing clip; c. properly aligns the construction material with a separate construction material; and d. properly spaces the construction material with a separate construction material.
 10. The installing and securing system of claim 7, wherein the clip positioner and the clip aligner act in concert to perform at least one of the following functions: a. properly align the installing and securing clip at a desired orientation to the support structure; and b. properly align the construction material at a desired orientation to the support structure.
 11. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the grasping protrusion comprises a structure extending from the clip attachment surface and is adapted to grasp the construction material and substantially constrain a movement of the construction material relative to the clip attachment surface.
 12. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the grasping adhesive is an adhesive material disposed upon the clip attachment surface and in contact with the construction material, and further wherein the grasping adhesive substantially constrains the movement of the construction material relative to the clip attachment surface.
 13. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the support structure attachment comprises at least one of: a. a mechanical fastener, wherein the mechanical fastener is selected from the group consisting of: (i) a nail; (ii) a screw; (iii) a bolt; (iv) a dowel pin; (v) a rivet; and (vi) a staple; b. an adhesive; c. a hook and loop fastener; and d. a magnet.
 14. The installing and securing system of claim 1, wherein the installing and securing clip further comprises a mechanical stop, wherein the mechanical stop substantially constrains the construction material from displacement in a direction substantially parallel to the installing and securing clip attachment surface.
 15. A kit for constructing a structure, the kit comprising: a. a plurality of construction materials; and b. a plurality of installing and securing clips, wherein each installing and securing clip comprises: (i) a clip seating surface, wherein the clip seating surface is adapted to seat firmly on a support structure; (ii) a clip attachment surface for grasping the construction material, wherein the clip attachment surface further comprises:
 1. a grasping protrusion; or
 2. a grasping adhesive; (iii) a clip positioner, wherein the clip positioner selectively orients the installing and securing clip with respect to the support structure; and (iv) a clip aligner, wherein the clip aligner is adapted to cooperatively interact with another clip aligner; and wherein the construction materials are formed to specific dimensions for being grasped by the plurality of installing and securing clips to form the structure.
 16. The kit of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of support structure attachments for attaching the installing and securing clips to the support structure.
 17. The kit of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of support structure components for constructing a support structure. 